This is going to be a long post because my journey has been a long one, but I encourage you to read it, especially if you are new to tinnitus. Just to be transparent, I would classify my tinnitus as mild. At its worst, it was matched at about 55 decibels, and now I cannot hear it at all unless I am in a room quieter than about 25 decibels, which is hard to find in everyday life. I understand that many people have severe tinnitus, and my story may not be relatable in those situations.
I told myself a few months into the development of my tinnitus that I would come back here and share a success story when my tinnitus went away. Before you get excited, my tinnitus is still here three years later. But I do not hear it anymore. I remember reading stories from people who said their tinnitus had not gone away, but they had simply gotten used to it. At the time, I thought, please do not let that be me. For many reading this, your tinnitus may still go away, so do not lose hope. That hope is what ultimately kept me going. But even if it does not go away, I want you to know that it really does get better.
I hope this post helps others, especially those who are new to tinnitus, but also some who have had it for a while.
My tinnitus started in June of 2022. I am currently 31 and was 28 at the time. I had been working as a registered nurse in the intensive care unit for about six years and had started nurse practitioner school in 2019. I had just graduated in May of 2022. Right after graduation, I had a kidney stone that required surgery. It was a painful and stressful experience that led to the discovery of other medical issues, which created even more stress. It was frustrating because I had just finished school and was ready to take the next step in my career, but these health issues held me back.
After surgery, I was prescribed several medications, including pain relievers, urological drugs, and antibiotics, which may have contributed to the onset of my tinnitus. I will never know for sure. I was beginning to recover from the surgery and health issues, but I was still on medication. My girlfriend at the time and I went to my parents' house for a cookout the day before my tinnitus began. While playing cornhole, I noticed that every time I bent down to pick up the bags, I felt dizzy and lightheaded. I assumed it was a side effect of the pain medication.
That night, I went to bed early. I woke up around four in the morning to a blaring, high-pitched ringing in my right ear, around 1 kHz. I jumped into the shower and cleaned my ears, thinking it might be earwax. It helped slightly, but not much. I made an ENT appointment that same day. They cleaned my ears again and removed a lot of wax. The ringing improved briefly after that. My hearing test came back normal, and I do not recall hearing the tinnitus while in the soundproof booth. I left thinking I was in the clear.
But that night, as I lay down to sleep, I noticed a new ringing in my left ear. It was much higher-pitched, around 12 kHz. That is when I really started to worry. I have always used rain noise to sleep, so I turned it on. It masked the sound somewhat, but I had to set it louder than usual. I did not sleep at all that night, and things quickly went downhill from there.
For the next week, I constantly played background sounds whenever I was home. My anxiety skyrocketed. I made another ENT appointment, and they told me my hearing was still normal and that it would go away with time, and I just needed to try and ignore it. Anyone with tinnitus knows that is the last thing you want to hear.
A few more weeks passed, and things only got worse. I could not work. I could not focus, and I feared putting patients' lives at risk. I could not study for my nurse practitioner boards because I was so anxious. I went deep into research, desperate to find a cure. That is how I found this forum. At first, it gave me hope, but over time it became a problem. While it is a great space for feeling less alone, it is not always the best place to be when you are trying to heal and move forward.
At the time, I was trying to figure out what had caused it and how to make it stop. That instinct is natural, especially for people with obsessive thoughts or anxiety, which I have had all my life. I still do not know the exact cause, but it was likely a combination of factors. I grew up mowing lawns for my dad and never used hearing protection. I played music, listened to music loudly, and was under a lot of stress. The medications may have added to it all.
I became obsessed. I lost myself, and everything around me started to fall apart. I quit my job. I had no income, though luckily I had some savings. My relationship was falling apart. I fell into a deep depression. A month in, my tinnitus became reactive. I began hearing multiple tones. I developed sound sensitivity. I could not enjoy music. Jaw movement would change the sound, which led me to wonder about temporomandibular joint dysfunction. I was diagnosed with it and bought an expensive mouthguard. I still wear it, though I do not know if it helped.
I believe the sound sensitivity developed because I became afraid of noise. I overprotected my ears. I was constantly anxious. Over six months, I lost around fifty pounds. I became suicidal. I was admitted to psychiatric care twice, as my family and girlfriend feared I might end my life. After the second admission, my girlfriend of six years left me. I found out she had been unfaithful. That was heartbreaking.
But that was also a turning point.
After everything collapsed, I decided to try hearing aids. I found a kind and supportive audiologist. The first ones I tried were standard devices that went over the ear. They were adjusted to amplify the frequency of my tinnitus and created a soft masking effect. This helped a little, but they were too visible. I was still only 28. I still had sound sensitivity, and the amplification sometimes made things worse.
Then I discovered Phonak Lyric devices. These changed everything. They are fully placed inside the ear canal and cannot be seen. You can shower with them, and they are resistant to moisture. They also physically block the ear canal, which I believe helped reduce my sound sensitivity. You can turn them off using a small magnetic tool, which made it easy to control them in loud situations.
They were expensive. The yearly subscription cost about three thousand six hundred to three thousand eight hundred dollars depending on location. I know not everyone can afford them. But I had already spent more than that trying other things. They were worth every cent. Fitting them properly took a few months, but my audiologist worked with me patiently and never gave up.
I wore them for about a year and a half. During that time, I rebuilt my life. I went back to work, returned to the gym, and enjoyed music again. I passed my boards, started dating again, and eventually moved out on my own. None of the people I dated ever knew I had devices in my ears.
Then, one day, I turned them off and realized I could barely hear the ringing. A few weeks later, I stopped using them entirely. I have not worn them for about a year now, and I only continue to improve.
I live exactly how I did before tinnitus. I go to concerts, listen to music, play instruments, and wear headphones. I protect my ears in very loud settings, but I no longer live in fear.
A lot of people online will tell you that you need to live very cautiously or it will get worse. I want to encourage you not to let that fear rule your life. For most people, it improves. Your brain will adjust if you allow it.
I have been around extremely loud sounds, including concerts, alarms, and sirens, and my tinnitus has not worsened. It only becomes noticeable when I am very stressed or tired. That is not because the sound is louder. That is just a fatigued brain struggling to tune it out.
Today, I work as a nurse practitioner in neurosurgery. I am in a new relationship. Life still has challenges, but tinnitus is not one of them anymore. I only notice it once or twice a month, usually when waking up or moving from a noisy place to silence. In a completely quiet room, I hear a faint hiss. That is all. I spend about ninety percent of my time not noticing it at all.
I am happy to answer questions for anyone, though I may not visit here often. My life is full now, but I want to help others when I can.
Tinnitus is incredibly powerful. Not everyone will understand it. And every person experiences it differently. But please do not let it control or destroy your life like it once did mine.
I know it is easier said than done. But stay strong. It truly does get better.
And please, never give up hope.
I told myself a few months into the development of my tinnitus that I would come back here and share a success story when my tinnitus went away. Before you get excited, my tinnitus is still here three years later. But I do not hear it anymore. I remember reading stories from people who said their tinnitus had not gone away, but they had simply gotten used to it. At the time, I thought, please do not let that be me. For many reading this, your tinnitus may still go away, so do not lose hope. That hope is what ultimately kept me going. But even if it does not go away, I want you to know that it really does get better.
I hope this post helps others, especially those who are new to tinnitus, but also some who have had it for a while.
My tinnitus started in June of 2022. I am currently 31 and was 28 at the time. I had been working as a registered nurse in the intensive care unit for about six years and had started nurse practitioner school in 2019. I had just graduated in May of 2022. Right after graduation, I had a kidney stone that required surgery. It was a painful and stressful experience that led to the discovery of other medical issues, which created even more stress. It was frustrating because I had just finished school and was ready to take the next step in my career, but these health issues held me back.
After surgery, I was prescribed several medications, including pain relievers, urological drugs, and antibiotics, which may have contributed to the onset of my tinnitus. I will never know for sure. I was beginning to recover from the surgery and health issues, but I was still on medication. My girlfriend at the time and I went to my parents' house for a cookout the day before my tinnitus began. While playing cornhole, I noticed that every time I bent down to pick up the bags, I felt dizzy and lightheaded. I assumed it was a side effect of the pain medication.
That night, I went to bed early. I woke up around four in the morning to a blaring, high-pitched ringing in my right ear, around 1 kHz. I jumped into the shower and cleaned my ears, thinking it might be earwax. It helped slightly, but not much. I made an ENT appointment that same day. They cleaned my ears again and removed a lot of wax. The ringing improved briefly after that. My hearing test came back normal, and I do not recall hearing the tinnitus while in the soundproof booth. I left thinking I was in the clear.
But that night, as I lay down to sleep, I noticed a new ringing in my left ear. It was much higher-pitched, around 12 kHz. That is when I really started to worry. I have always used rain noise to sleep, so I turned it on. It masked the sound somewhat, but I had to set it louder than usual. I did not sleep at all that night, and things quickly went downhill from there.
For the next week, I constantly played background sounds whenever I was home. My anxiety skyrocketed. I made another ENT appointment, and they told me my hearing was still normal and that it would go away with time, and I just needed to try and ignore it. Anyone with tinnitus knows that is the last thing you want to hear.
A few more weeks passed, and things only got worse. I could not work. I could not focus, and I feared putting patients' lives at risk. I could not study for my nurse practitioner boards because I was so anxious. I went deep into research, desperate to find a cure. That is how I found this forum. At first, it gave me hope, but over time it became a problem. While it is a great space for feeling less alone, it is not always the best place to be when you are trying to heal and move forward.
At the time, I was trying to figure out what had caused it and how to make it stop. That instinct is natural, especially for people with obsessive thoughts or anxiety, which I have had all my life. I still do not know the exact cause, but it was likely a combination of factors. I grew up mowing lawns for my dad and never used hearing protection. I played music, listened to music loudly, and was under a lot of stress. The medications may have added to it all.
I became obsessed. I lost myself, and everything around me started to fall apart. I quit my job. I had no income, though luckily I had some savings. My relationship was falling apart. I fell into a deep depression. A month in, my tinnitus became reactive. I began hearing multiple tones. I developed sound sensitivity. I could not enjoy music. Jaw movement would change the sound, which led me to wonder about temporomandibular joint dysfunction. I was diagnosed with it and bought an expensive mouthguard. I still wear it, though I do not know if it helped.
I believe the sound sensitivity developed because I became afraid of noise. I overprotected my ears. I was constantly anxious. Over six months, I lost around fifty pounds. I became suicidal. I was admitted to psychiatric care twice, as my family and girlfriend feared I might end my life. After the second admission, my girlfriend of six years left me. I found out she had been unfaithful. That was heartbreaking.
But that was also a turning point.
After everything collapsed, I decided to try hearing aids. I found a kind and supportive audiologist. The first ones I tried were standard devices that went over the ear. They were adjusted to amplify the frequency of my tinnitus and created a soft masking effect. This helped a little, but they were too visible. I was still only 28. I still had sound sensitivity, and the amplification sometimes made things worse.
Then I discovered Phonak Lyric devices. These changed everything. They are fully placed inside the ear canal and cannot be seen. You can shower with them, and they are resistant to moisture. They also physically block the ear canal, which I believe helped reduce my sound sensitivity. You can turn them off using a small magnetic tool, which made it easy to control them in loud situations.
They were expensive. The yearly subscription cost about three thousand six hundred to three thousand eight hundred dollars depending on location. I know not everyone can afford them. But I had already spent more than that trying other things. They were worth every cent. Fitting them properly took a few months, but my audiologist worked with me patiently and never gave up.
I wore them for about a year and a half. During that time, I rebuilt my life. I went back to work, returned to the gym, and enjoyed music again. I passed my boards, started dating again, and eventually moved out on my own. None of the people I dated ever knew I had devices in my ears.
Then, one day, I turned them off and realized I could barely hear the ringing. A few weeks later, I stopped using them entirely. I have not worn them for about a year now, and I only continue to improve.
I live exactly how I did before tinnitus. I go to concerts, listen to music, play instruments, and wear headphones. I protect my ears in very loud settings, but I no longer live in fear.
A lot of people online will tell you that you need to live very cautiously or it will get worse. I want to encourage you not to let that fear rule your life. For most people, it improves. Your brain will adjust if you allow it.
I have been around extremely loud sounds, including concerts, alarms, and sirens, and my tinnitus has not worsened. It only becomes noticeable when I am very stressed or tired. That is not because the sound is louder. That is just a fatigued brain struggling to tune it out.
Today, I work as a nurse practitioner in neurosurgery. I am in a new relationship. Life still has challenges, but tinnitus is not one of them anymore. I only notice it once or twice a month, usually when waking up or moving from a noisy place to silence. In a completely quiet room, I hear a faint hiss. That is all. I spend about ninety percent of my time not noticing it at all.
I am happy to answer questions for anyone, though I may not visit here often. My life is full now, but I want to help others when I can.
Tinnitus is incredibly powerful. Not everyone will understand it. And every person experiences it differently. But please do not let it control or destroy your life like it once did mine.
I know it is easier said than done. But stay strong. It truly does get better.
And please, never give up hope.
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